Movies: Past, present and future

Reports: Former teen idol Corey Haim is dead at 38

March 10, 2010 | 7:39am

Several news accounts, including one in the Los Angeles Times, are reporting Wednesday morning that former child star Corey Haim has died at age 38.

Haim, who according to those reports was found unconscious in his San Fernando Valley apartment, was last seen publicly as a reality television personality on A&E's "The Two Coreys," which aired in 2007 and 2008. But like his show costar Corey Feldman, he of course came to prominence as a theatrical film star in the 1980s, headlining movies such as Joel Schumacher's ensemble vampire picture "The Lost Boys" and the high school drama "Lucas," as well as less well-received but equally successful teen-pinup films such as "License to Drive."

At his most prolific, the Canadian-born Haim starred in 10 movies across a five-year span in the late 1980s and early 1990s, though in the latter part of that spurt, some of the movies were smaller pictures that were not released in theaters.

He continued working through the 1990s and at various points in the last decade, though many of his films were straight-to-DVD efforts. At the time of his death, Haim had a number of projects in development, including the indie thriller "The Pick Up," and was set to play a supporting role in the Mischa Barton teen comedy "The Science of Cool."

Some reports, including one on the website of KTLA,
suggest Haim may have died of an accidental overdose. If those reports
are true, it would be the third drug-related death of a thirtysomething
celebrity since summer, following those of Adam "DJ AM"
Goldstein and actress Brittany Murphy.

i wish his family my best wishes! my heart will always be with them. he was my best actor all my life and he will always be remembered in my heart! he was the best. rest in peace corey! you deserve it ! (ps) those that concidered to be his friends that turned their backs on him, shame on you cuz he needed you by his side! best wishes to his loved ones! bye.

I'll miss you so much Corey. I wanted you to make a comeback. Too bad today's young teenagers want their popular untalented teen stars. You were the greatest teen idol with actual talent. I'm sad and mad at the same time, because I wish you would have never took the pact you did with the drugs. It angers me that we have to see young people die and suffer from those evil things. I'll watch your films over and over. My condolences go to your poor mother who must be greatly devastated. Rest In Peace my friend... :(

I hate to hear about this, obviously, but I thought Britney's death was ruled to NOT be drugs. Prescriptions had complicated matters when she had pnuemonia and she was anemic. She had a period while she was sick... it wasn't drugs like this guy or Heath Ledger...

I agree, shame on the people that claim to be his friend. Esp., Corey Feldman who played a cruel joke on him on live television saying, they wanted him to be in The lost boys sequel which wasn't true at all. I was so sad for him when I watched that episode of the two Corey's. I could never do that to a friend! Corey Feldman should be ashamed of himself.

Corey Haim, what a shame. I loved Corey's movies and they will always be a symbol of my adolescence. Who can ever forget the cute little kid with the crooked smile that made everyone happy? In my opinion, this is just another example of how Hollywood chews people up and then spits them out when they are no longer "marketable". Speaking from personal experience, substance abuse is a hard thing to overcome and it seems like he was really trying to get his life back together and revamp his acting career, which was his true passion. R.I.P. Corey. You will be missed.

It is sad we lost another great and talented young actor. My heart goes out to his family and friend. Life is some times too short. What have learned from this is live your life to the fullest. Rest in peace corey.

This is such a harsh tradgety but a major reality, as sad as this is, it seems tohave become the norm for not only Hollywood stars but for many that have been caught up in the reality of prescription drug use . A very sad but true reality, rest in peace!!

I was really sad to hear of his passing. His movies were before my time but I still enjoyed them and I liked him on the Two Coreys. It did seem like he was battling a lot of demons. He had talent but his struggles with drug addiction made it so he couldn't find work, leading him to spiral even further out of control. I think it's a shame that he didn't really seem to have anyone there for him. I hope he is at peace now. People are shocked at how many people have died in Hollywood because of drugs, but I'm not. Its a huge problem in the US and drug addiction doesn't discriminate.

Many people, like me, dreamed when we were young of what it would be like to be a star. After the last few years of watching the way so many of their lives have ended, I'm glad I'm in sales. It's particularly disturbing for me regarding Corey Haim because we are almost exactly the same age. We all have our temptations; fame simply allows one to follow through with them. The problem is that most human beings cannot handle the access to the type of life that money and success can obtain. It's very tragic. I'll take my average life over Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson, Brittany Murphy and Corey Haim any day. My worst addiction is the French Roast coffee I'm drinking while I write this post. But if I had the chance, would I have popped some amphetamines instead? Then chased that back later with some Oxycontin? I'm glad I'll never know.